Improvement in bee-hives



GTON, D C.

N. PiTERS. PHOTD-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHIN A Stuited JEssE PEARsON, OF weerMILTON, OHIO. Lett-ers Patent No. 86,441, dated Fcbrua/ry 2, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVES.'

Therschedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Jnssn PEAnsON, of WestMilton, in the county of Miami, and State of Ohio, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Bee-Hives;

land I do hereby declare that-the following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof, which will4 enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference-being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a vertical section of my invention, taken in the line x x,g. 2.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the Isame, taken in the line y y, fig.l.

Figure 3 is a detached plan or top view ofthe feeding box pertaining tothe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved beehive; and

It consists in a peculiar construction of the same, whereby a perfectventilation is obtained, and bee-moth excluded, the multiplication ofcolonies readily effected, honey removed from the hive, when desired,with the greatest facility, `and bees fed, when required, without anytrouble or diiiculty whatever.

.In the accompanying sheet of drawings- A represents the body of thehive, which is of quadrilateral form, and ofthe usual or any properdimensions, and is provided, at its rear side, with a door, by openingwhichthe whole of the interior of the hive is rendered accessible.

The bottom board, a, of the hive, projects forward ofthe front and sidesof the hive, and a casing, B, extends around the front and sides of thehive, said casing having open panels, covered with wire cloth, C, adead-air space, b, being allowed between the wire cloth and the body ofthe hive,

The lower edges of the front and sides of the hive are notched out, toform ventilating and bee-passages, and the front of the case B, at itslower edge, is provided with-an opening and a slide, D.

This latter opening constitutes the bee-entrance.

By this arrangement, it will be seen that air may be admitted into thelower part of the hive, at its front and both sides, and the millerprevented from entering and depositing her eggs.

The bottom, a, of the hive, is provided with a drope door, E,\hinged atits inner end, and held in a closed state by a' hook at its oppositeend, and on this bottom there is fitted, between guides, c c, a panF,containing a perforated float, G.

Food may be placed in this pan F, such as honey, molasses, sugar andwater, 85o.

This wouldbe necessary in case the bees should fall short of a supply offood in winter or'early spring.

The oat G renders the food very accessible to the bees.

Within the body of the hive there are placed two boxes, H H', onedirectly over the other, but resting on separate ways or guides, el d,(see iig. 1,) so that one box may be withdrawn from the hive without the1 other.

Each box is provided with openings, e, in its top,

which openings may be covered with slides, f, when required, and thebottoms of the boxes are formed of tin or sheet-metal slides I, having alarge opening made in them, and covered with wire cloth, g, to be used,for convenience, when dividing colonies.

Each box is provided, at its re'ar side, with a glass door, h, andwithin these boxes the comb-frames,

`are fitted and secured, as follows:

In the upper surface of the top rail, i, of each combframe, there ismade a longitudinal groove, j, and these grooves receive rods lr,attached to the under sides of the tops of the boxes, Wires or staples,l, being driven into the top rails, over the grooves j, which wires orstaples hold the comb-frames on the rods.. (See fig. 1.'

The? rear upright bars on, of the comb-frames, extend down below thebottom-rails n, of the combframes, and have tenons, n', formed on theirlower ends, which fit in recesses made in a bar, o, on the bottoms ofthe boxes.

By this arrangement, it will be` seen that the combflames may be readilywithdrawnlfrom the boxes, and either box taken from the hive, andcolonies divided, without allowing them to swarm, for, by withdrawing abox from ,the hive, and placing au empty one' over it, and withdrawingthe slides f, of the filled, and the slide I, of the other, a number ofbees, with one queen, may be made to pass into the empty box, vthe slideI being closed or shoved in when one queen has passed through or intothe empty box, and this box, when placed in an empty hive, with .theupper box of the old colony above it, (care being taken to dividethe ,Y

bees,) will form a new colony.

The other box, containing the remnant of the"old colony, may then bereplaced 'in `the hive from which it was taken, and an empty box placedover it.

A bee-entrance, 1J, is made in the front of the hive i for the upperbox, H', and both boxes have bee-entrances, g g, made in them, which maybe covered by sheetmetal doors, fr, when desired.

I am aware of the patents granted to Gushee and Dawes, October 11, 1859,and Alexander Glow, April 16,1861, but as these contain no part of myinvention, I claim nothing therein shown.

Having thus described my invention,

. I `claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. Thesecuring or 'suspending of the comb-frames J, within the boxes H H', bymeans of the .rods k, attached to the under sides of the tops of theboxes, and the grooves j, 'made in the upper surfaces of the top railsfi of the comb-frames with the wires or staples l, driven in the railsi, over the'grooves j, vsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The arrangement, upon the hinged bottom or door E, of the feed-pau Fand float G, as herein described, for the purpose specified JESSEIEARSON.

Witnesses:

AZURIAH STEWART, JOSEPH' FURNAS.

